C-More C-iv

I played Civilization several more times through, finally getting a 4-player game in. Game 1 of last Friday, we started off as a 3-player game. I figured I would try out the coin win. I made a couple of mistakes, but successfully hid my coin plan until it was too late for the other players to unite against me. My final turn I gained 3 coins from having researching Banks...really awesome, but making the level 1 version of it is now completely a giveaway.

The 4-player game, I fell into another coin strategy as the Chinese...I picked up monument pieces early from huts and villages, but then drew into famous figures who had coins as well. I used shortcuts I learned in the previous game, executed them earlier, and won so fast that we finished in 2-2.5 hours. Coins seem to be much easier to win with - it takes some tactics, but it's more reliable than military and takes less time than culture/science victories.

I hosted a game night last Saturday for friends, where we played Le Havre, 7 Wonders, and Cash'n'Guns. 7 Wonders is hard for me to teach well...either the game is awkward for learning, or I am. (And I've demoed hundreds of games, some more than others.)

7 Wonders is nice and relatively fast, but I have some doubts for long-term play. First, there are only so many choices you make. Second, the stacks of cards within an Age are completely random. Finally, you might not be able to get some cards at a big enough table...if you need a cloth, they might not exist for you or your nearby friends. Maybe pay 3 to the bank to get it.

It's a beautiful game, but I'm sad that it doesn't do more. Maybe it is waiting to do expansions to make the game interesting...they released an 8th Wonder through BGG.


Sunday day will be featuring Advanced Civilization, an old-school game. The corrupted trade bit is probably the most interesting thing about it, but the players are all good people and a great way to spend 6-7 hours.